Cast cushion



1962 A. w. HOOPES 3068861 CAST CUSHION Filed Aug. 7, 1961 INVENTOR flM/eerrs hlA oopss mam/MY M ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent 3,068,861 CAST CUSHION Amrette W. Hoopes, Warsaw, Ind., assiguor to De Puy Manufacturing Company, Inc., Warsaw, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Aug. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 129,692 3 Claims. (Cl. 12883.5)

This invention relates to cast cushions, and more particularly to cast cushions formed of resilient material and adapted to be secured to or embedded in the bottom of a foot or leg cast.

It has long .been the custom to encase broken ankles or legs in plaster casts. In recent years, it has'been customary to embed a stirrup or brace in the plaster cast and projecting beyond the bottom of the cast to render the patient ambulatory without risking damage to the cast. These stirrups or braces have customarily been formed of metal. The provision of metal stirrups has certain obvious disadvantages. In addition to scufling and scratching of floors, metal stirrups fail to provide adequate cushioning and shock absorption. Manifestly, a cast cushion which eliminated these serious defects would be highly desirable.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved cast cushion which may be embedded in a plaster cast and be of suflicient resiliency to provide adequate cushioning and shock absorption.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cast cushion which will not mar or scratch floors.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a cast cushion which will eliminate forced limp.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a cast cushion formed of resilient material and provided with a plurality of grooves therein for accommodating plaster bandage to enable the cast cushion to be embedded in a plaster cast.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a cast cushion of resilient material having a plurality of projections formed thereon which engage the hardened plaster and preclude lateral movement of the cushion.

With these and other objects in iew, the present invention contemplates, in its preferred embodiment, a cast cushion formed of resilient material and comprising a body portion and a flange portion integral therewith. The body portion is provided with a series of deep undercut grooves of crisscross arrangement which accommodate plaster bandage and enable the cast cushion to be embedded in a plaster cast. A plurality of projections are provided on the flange member and are adapted to project into the hardened cast material to preclude lateral movement of the cushion. The surface of the body portion opposite the flange is provided with an interrupted or corrugated tread, which may be of herringbone pattern, and this surface becomes the walking surface when the a cushion has been embedded in or secured to a plaster cast.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of the underside of a cast cushion embodying the principal features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view of the cushion of FIG- URE 1 and illustrates the projection on the flange which preclude lateral movement;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the cast cushion of the present invention is applied to a plaster cast; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a completed plaster cast having the cast cushion of the present invention embedded therein.

ICC

Attention now is directed to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, and in particular to FIGURES 1 and 2. The cast cushion of the present invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, comprises a body portion 11 and a flange portion 12 formed integral therewith. The cast cushion 10 is preferably molded of a fine quality rubber, although it isobvious that various other types of long -wearing resilient, natural or synthetic materials may be readily substituted therefor. A plurality of grooves 14 ire formed in the body portion 10. Two of these grooves 14 are disposed along diagonals of the rectangular body portion and the remaining one is disposed along the minor axis of the body portion.

A herringbone tread 15 is formed in the surface of the body portion 11 which is opposite the flange 12. The treads 15 provide a nonskid walking surface for the cushion. A plurality of projections 16 are formed on the flange 12 on the side opposite the body portion 11.

In order that a better understanding of the invention might be had, the manner in which the cast cushion is embedded in a plaster cast will now be described. A plaster cast is first applied to the [foot and leg of the patient in the normal manner. Then, using plaster bandage or plaster splint, a level area is built up beneath the arch of the foot. While this built-up area is still soft, the cast cushion 10 is pressed firmly into the soft plaster to embed the projections 16 therein. In applying the cushion, the cushion should be disposed in the middle of the foot at right angles to and slightly forward of the long axis of the leg.

The cushion 10 is then held in place and additional plaster bandage is wrapped around the cast and cushion in order to securely fasten the cushion to the cast. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the plaster bandage may be wrapped in a natural figure eight manner around the foot and through the grooves 14. Additional wrappings may be applied to cover the ends of the flange 12 which project beyond the body portion 11. The completed cast and cushion assembly will appear as seen in FIGURE 4.

The grooves 14 are made sufiiciently deep so as to accommodate numerous wrappings of plastic bandage without the plaster bandage projecting beyond the threads 15 on the walking surface of the cushion 10. It will be noted from FIGURE 4 that the segments of the body portion 11 all project beyond the surface of the plaster cast. Thus, when the plaster has hardened, the patient is able to walk with only the threads 15 engaging the floor.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that a new and improved cast cushion is provided which embodies numerous advantages. The cushion has a low broad base which eliminates stilt effect when the patient walks and this results in a more nearly normal gait for the patient. The crisscross groove arrangement permits a normal figure eight wrapping procedure which facilitates easy application of the cushion. The cushion is firmly and securely embedded in the cast due to the arrangement of the grooves 14 and the provision of the projections 16. Resilient material is used in forming the cushion to provide adequate cushioning and shock absorption as well as precluding the marking or marring of floors. And, the herringbone treads provide nonslip traction. The aforementioned advantages are but some of the many inherent in the cast cushion of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the salient features of the invention. Numerous other arrangements and configurations may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will still embody the principles of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

' uniform thickness, said block having an upper surface area adapted to contact the cast upon the bottom or sole thereof, and an opposite or bottom surface area adapted to contact the ground in walking, grooves formed in said ground contacting surface area and extending from one a side of the block to the other, said grooves not only dividing said ground contacting surface area into subdivisions augmenting the anti-skid properties thereof, but being of such depth as to accommodate at least one winding of plaster bandage therethrough in binding the cushion to the cast.

2. The cushion as set forth in claim 1 in which said body of the. block is substantially rectangular in horizontal section and said deep grooves include two which coincide with the diagonals of said rectangular body, in

order to obtain a wide spread of multiple windings of plaster bandage.

3. The cushion as set forth in claim 1 in which said block is provided with a horizontal flange adjacent the cast contacting surface and a plurality of pointed protuberances are provided on said last named surface to be embedded in said cast and aid in stabilizing the attach-' ment of the cushion, and said grooves penetrating by far the greater portion of the thickness of said .body, said flange serving to strengthen the body of the block which is intersected by'said deep grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wright Apr. 14, 1953 

